The law is not just an abstract set of rules; it is the ultimate expression of a society’s values. It tells us who matters, whose rights are protected, and where power truly resides. In a time when the very foundations of American democracy are being challenged by what can only be called political hostility and economic violence from a consolidated federal power structure, the state of California has a profound responsibility to lead the resistance. As a radio show host and podcaster, I believe we must speak to leaders on the front lines of this fight. I was thrilled to welcome California Assemblymember Isaac Bryan to The Legal Lens Podcast as part of a double-feature episode.
Assemblymember Bryan represents the 55th Assembly District, covering diverse neighborhoods like Culver City, West, and South Los Angeles. A graduate of the UCLA School of Public Affairs, he currently serves as the Chair of the Assembly Select Committee on the Status of Boys and Men of Color. Assemblymember Bryan’s perspective is rare and urgently needed. His legislative work, authoring 13 bills this session, is deeply informed by his own journey, leading him to sponsor groundbreaking legislation to defend tenants, secure fair wages for incarcerated firefighters, and lead California’s pivotal effort to “punch back” against national threats through Proposition 50.
For a deeper, more convenient dive into these critical topics, you can listen to our full discussion on The Legal Lens Podcast. You can find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Simplecast, and everywhere you get your podcasts for free, or you can listen in the player below:
Asm. Isaac Bryan: on Prop 50, Firefighter Wages, and More
Isaac Bryan and I have been mutual admirers of one another for quite some time, but every time I have had the opportunity to talk to him, he’s been surrounded by a line of people. He has been in the California State Assembly since 2021, and he has had five end-of-session reports.
I am confident you will be enlightened and inspired by this candid and riveting discussion with Assemblymember Bryan, a leader whose life mission is rooted in the belief that systemic injustices must be dismantled through strategic, principled legislation.
Here are timestamps and topics covered to help you navigate the episode more conveniently:
- 3:55 – Assemblymember Isaac Bryan’s Personal Path and Foster Care Story
- 7:15 – The Power and Necessity of California Proposition 50
- 10:15 – Defending Prop 50 Against Claims of Partisan Hypocrisy
- 16:10 – AB 246: Protecting Seniors and Disabled Californians from Eviction
- 19:40 – AB 247: Raising Wages for Incarcerated Firefighters
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A Personal Path to Policy: From Foster Care to the Assembly
Asm. Isaac Bryan’s commitment to justice is, like many trailblazers, intensely personal. His journey began in a large family; he is one of 13 children, including nine adopted siblings, because his parents served as foster parents for 30 years, welcoming over 200 foster children into their home.
“I’m number eight. I’m the Kobe Bryant of the family. I think being touched by the child welfare system and seeing the way that other systems, like the education system and criminal justice system, interacted in the lives of my life really taught me at a young age that, to some degree, these systems were not fair and the outcomes are relatively predictable,” joked Bryan.
This experience gave him a clear, painful understanding of how systems often fail vulnerable people. He observed how the child welfare system, the education system, and the criminal justice system interacted in the lives of his siblings.
When he realized these outcomes were, to a large degree, “by design,” the result of intentional policy decisions, his path shifted from activism to becoming the policymaker himself.
“When the seat in the neighborhood opened up, I ran for it. I got tired of lobbying or asking elected officials to be courageous and to push back and to change these systems and decided I would just be one and do the best I can to make the changes that I think are important,” stated Bryan.
This firsthand experience is the driving force behind his policy work today.
“I think we all have a lot that we’ve lived and that we’ve seen, and by having such a large family, I’ve been impacted in so many different ways that I feel very connected to all people, and the struggles that many people are going through. That’s what good policy work should be,” said Bryan.
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Why California Proposition 50 is Our Way to “Punch Back”
The core of our discussion focused on California Proposition 50. Bryan is a vocal supporter, explaining its critical purpose: to act as a definitive pushback against the “power grab” and “violence” emanating from the federal administration.
“The power grab that’s coming out of D.C. and the violence and harm that’s coming out of this administration is nothing like anything we’ve ever seen in the modern era. The president has weaponized our National Guard and military against American cities that didn’t support him. He’s kidnapped and separated vulnerable families who have done nothing wrong except try to contribute to our country, economy, and communities. He has slashed healthcare, education benefits, veterans benefits, and so much of the social safety net that many people rely on, need, and count on the government to provide,” explained an impassioned Bryan.
Isaac Bryan touched on a pervasive sense of powerlessness that many Americans have felt during such a turbulent and tumultuous time in our nation.
“We have definitely felt powerless. Part of the reason that we’ve felt powerless is because we have been powerless. They control Congress, they control the Senate, they control the Supreme Court, and they control the presidency. When I say they, I mean anyone who’s willing to bend the knee, and when he called down to Texas and other states across the South and Midwest and said, ‘I’d like you to gerrymander and disenfranchise voters, particularly Black voters, to consolidate power, it has created a very tense and uncertain atmosphere,” said Bryan.
However, Isaac Bryan is never one to sit idly by, and he recognized the immense obligation that states like California have to their people and, ultimately, the nation as a whole, explaining that this was the genesis of Proposition 50.
“When the President tried to consolidate power in California, we said, ‘No. If you go down that path, we will do the same and draw five additional seats out here to balance the scales because California has a responsibility that is bigger than ourselves. We are the fourth-largest economy in the world. We’re the economic engine of this nation. One in eight Americans call California home, and a lot of us believe that when the country is in crisis, California has to step up, and that’s what Prop 50 is. It’s a referendum on all of the harm that is coming out of D.C. It’s our way to punch back, to fight back, to step up,” Bryan stated.
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In a Nutshell: What CA Prop 50 Does
Assemblymember Isaac Bryan clarified that California already has a commendable independent redistricting process. CA Prop 50 does not eliminate this. Instead, it allows for a temporary suspension of the last maps drawn in 2020 and the insertion of new maps until 2030.
CA Prop 50, also known as the “Election Rigging Response Act,” is an amendment proposing to temporarily redraw the state’s congressional district maps in response to partisan redistricting in other states, most notably Texas.
“Unlike many states across the country, California has an independent redistricting process every census. I’m a former Chair of the Elections Committee, and I’ve written legislation to call for independent redistricting at every level of government, not just at the state level, the county level, and the school board level. I believe that’s the proper way to draw political boundaries. Elected officials shouldn’t be drawing their own boundaries. Now, keep in mind, that’s not the way it is everywhere around the country. California has led in that respect, and I’ve been supportive of that,” explained Bryan.
The practical goal is to balance the scales by drawing lines that would likely boot out five harmful Republicans, representatives who have supported the political violence and harm inflicted on vulnerable communities and opposed aid to California.
“Anybody can apply to be a commissioner. There are some rules around what it means to serve as a commissioner, including not being able to run for office over the next decade, but it’s truly a beautiful, independent process, and we want to keep that process. Prop 50 does not do away with that process. What it does is allow for a temporary suspension of the latest maps that were drawn in 2020 and the insertion of new maps that will hold until 2030, where the independent commission will again be able to return to their work, and the reason we have to take this break is because what we are seeing in other states that don’t believe in democracy in the way that we do is political violence is flagrant,” said Bryan.
He stressed that the decision to take this temporary break is necessary because of the flagrant gerrymandering and disenfranchisement of Black and brown voters occurring in other states, specifically calling out the “most racist maps” proposed in Texas in decades.
“What’s different about the process here in California is even this decision to fight back, to push back, and reclaim our power, we’re still giving it to the voters. It’s not me drawing the lines, and it’s not the governor drawing the lines. It’s the people of California who get the final say in November, and I just happen to believe that the people of California are ready for this moment, have been asking for this moment, and deserve this moment,” said Bryan.
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Standing on Business, Not Hypocrisy
Assemblymember Isaac Bryan addressed the primary criticism from opponents that, by temporarily overriding the independent commission, Democrats are engaging in the same partisan behavior they accuse Republicans of.
“My mama was pretty clear in raising us. You don’t go out looking for fights. You don’t go picking fights. You definitely don’t pick on vulnerable people.. But if somebody steps to you unjustly, you put them down, and for too long, we have just been rolling over the other cheek while they send blow after blow after blow to the foundations of democracy,” said Bryan, explaining why Prop 50 is necessary self-defense.
He cut through the political noise by pointing out Republicans’ consistent opposition to all proposals for independent redistricting, concluding with a powerful distinction.
“They are the ones who are standing on hypocrisy. We are standing on business. I believe in the people of California. I trust California voters and know that, like me, many folks are angry and have been looking for a way to get active and engaged, and this is that moment. This is that special election they’ve been waiting for. It’s time to show up,” said Bryan.
He concluded by stressing the democratic nature of the pushback: Prop 50 gives the people of California the final say on the new maps, not the politicians.
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A Legislative Shield: Protecting the Vulnerable (AB 246)
Assemblymember Bryan’s legislative work continues this theme of protecting Californians from federal instability. He was particularly excited about Assembly Bill 246, which provides a shield for the most vulnerable against eviction in the event of federal action or inaction, like a government shutdown.
“AB 246 is another way to protect Californians from this federal government, especially with the recent government shutdown. Essentially, what it says is if you lose your Social Security benefits, if they’re delayed or stopped for any reason, it can be used as an affirmative defense in an eviction proceeding. We’re not going to push grandma and grandpa and your aunties and uncles out of the homes they’ve been living in because their income was disrupted by an administration that doesn’t believe Social Security should exist,” explained Bryan.
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Dismantling Economic Injustice: Raising Firefighter Wages (AB 247)
Finally, we discussed Assembly Bill 247. For over 100 years, incarcerated people in California have been fighting the state’s massive wildfires as first responders.
“AB 247 raises the wages of incarcerated firefighters. A lot of people don’t know that for the last 100 years, incarcerated people have been fighting wildfires in California’s history. Every time there’s a massive wildfire, that reality becomes a reminder for all of us, but then we never do anything about it. When LA went through the last firefighters, there were over a thousand incarcerated people who spent months on the fire line protecting people and protecting homes. They get paid $1 an hour. It’s criminal. It’s slavery. It is not who we should be, but who we have to be. So I wrote AB 247 to increase those wages 700% to $7.25 an hour, which is the federal minimum wage,” said Bryan.
This measure provides an economic base for re-entry, allows people to pay victims’ restitution, and supports families from the inside.
“All labor has dignity and has value. Including the labor of incarcerated people,” Bryan concluded, making this a powerful civil rights bill for modern times.
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Our essential discussion with the incomparable Assemblymember Isaac Bryan demonstrated that true leadership is a combination of principled, personal conviction and strategic political action. From defending the sanctity of the vote with CA Prop 50 to signing landmark bills like AB 246 into law, Bryan is at the forefront of the fight to protect California’s most vulnerable and push back against systemic injustice. In this pivotal moment, staying informed is more important than ever. Stay informed, inspired, and empowered.
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For media inquiries, please reach out to josh@kwsmdigital.com.
This communication is not legal advice. It is educational only. For legal advice, consult with an experienced employment law attorney in your state or city.